Water ski



c.l GlAcoMELLl Jan.v11, 1949.

WATER SKI 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 14, 1945 Jan-. Al1, 1949.v l c. GlAcoMELLl 2,458,775

WATER SKI Filed Feb. 14, 1945 '2 sheets-smeet 2 r I mentar CARLO `G/ACOMELL/ Patented Jan. l1, 1949 WATER SKI A `Carlo Giacomelli, -'New York, N. Y. Application February 14, 1945, Serial No. 577,784

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in water skis embodying elongated floats or pontoons adapted for attaching to the feet of a person and embodying means for moving the skis forwardly over the surface of the water.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a pair of elongated oats or pon toons adapted for use as water skis and also embodying means for rigidly connecting the floats together in spaced parallel relation and adapted for supporting a person in either a sitting or a prone position.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means at the stern of the float for propelling the same forwardly.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efoient and dependable in use, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which- Figure 1 is a top .plan view.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective View showing the attaching means for the blades on the bottom of the float.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on a line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a top plan view illustrating a modied form of connector for the float for use by a swimmer,

Figure 6 is an enlarged top plan view of the connector, and

Figure 7 is a detail of one of the connectors for the mat.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and first with respect to the form of invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, the numerals 5 and 6 designate a pair of elongated floats or pontoons having upwardly inclined bow portions l'.

To the bottom of each of the floats is suitably secured a pair of longitudinally extending spaced parallel strips 8 having a plurality of blades 9 pivoted therebetween by means of trunnions IIJ projecting outwardly from the side edges of the blade adjacent the upper edge thereof, the blades being constructed of non-buoyant material so that the same will be supported in a perpendicular position between the strips 8 and projecting downwardly from the bottom of the oat, the blades being freely swingable on the trunnions Il). Stop pins II project from the opposed sides of the strips 8 to limit the forward swinging movement of the blades.

To the inner sides of the oats 5 and 6 are also attached strips I2 and to which inclined spacing members I3 are attached, the spacing members :being crossed at the central portion thereof and connected at their front ends to one of the strips I2 andat their opposite ends to the other of said strips asshown to advantage in Figure 1 of the drawings, the spacing members I3 thus securing the floats 5 and B in spaced parallel relation.

A flexible woven-strip of material Ill, such as netting or the like, is secured at its side edges between the floats 5 and 6 by attaching rods I5 at the front and rear ends of the netting and having heads I5a received in T-slots I5b in the edges of the floats, the netting being adapted to support a person in a prone position.

Upstanding brackets or legs I6 are secured to the top or deck portion of the oats 5 and S adj acent the stern thereof and on which a seat i1 is supported.

Also rising from the deck of each float, adjacent the stern thereof, is a guide yoke i8 having a stein I8a rotatably mounted in a socket Ib, the yoke having a handle I9 slidably and swivelly positioned therein, the handle I9 extending longitudinally above the float and having a paddle 20 flxedly attached at the rear end thereof and projecting over the stern of the oat.

To the front edge of the paddle 2B is hingedly attached a blade 2| underlying the paddle, the blade 2l being limited in its forward movement by means of a stop 22 secured to the under side of the handle I9.

By sliding the handle I9 rearwardly the blade 2| will be moved downwardly into the position as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings and the blades will then function to push the float for- Wardly.

By rotating the handle I9 in its yoke i8 so as to position the paddle 2|] vertically the same may then be used as a rudder.

The floats 5 and 6 are preferably of hollow construction and are provided with hinged doors 23 adjacent the front and rear portions thereof in the deck of the float to afford access to the interior thereof and by means of which various equipment may be stored in the float.

The spacing members I3 may be detached from the float and the netting I4 and seat Il are also removed therefrom and the floats 5 and 6 then used as water skis by inserting the feet of a per son in strap equipped foot sockets with toe ends pointing forwardly 24. When the floats are used as water skis the same may be alternately moved forwardly in a walking action, the blades 9 swinging rearwardly under the floats during the forward movement thereof and being held against the stop pins l l to retard rearward movement of the floats whilefone of the lioats is'moyed forwardly.

The strips I2 on the inside of the floats are also provided with sockets 25 to which a cross member 26 may be pivotally attached by means of yolies` 21. The cross member 26 is formedwith hand grip slots 28 adapted for engagement by the hands of a swimmer so that the floats Eiland 3l as shown in Figure 5 of the drawings may alternately be moved forwardly.

It is believed that the ldetails of construction and manner of use of the device will :be readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

In a water craft, a float having .astern, 4a yoke comprising a stern .npstandi-ng from saidV stern and rotatable therein, and an elongated handley having a'rear end overhanging said stern, said handle being laterally swingable about the axis of rotation of vthe stern and endwise slidable -forwardly and rearwardly and rotatable about its longitudinal axis, a paddle extending from the rear end of the handle parallel therewith for rotation by said handle into Vertical position and use as a rudder by swinging of the handle, and a blade pivoted to the rear end of said paddle to incline downwardly and rearwardly therefrom for use as a pusher in the water by endwise sliding of the handle rearwardly, said blade being swingable on its pivot upwardly by pressure of the water when .the handle is slid forwardly and to obviate resistance to sliding of said handle forwardly.

CARLO GIACO'MELLI.

REFERENCES CITED The 'following references are of record in the ,rile of thisfpatent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 14,973 Ross May '27, 1856 22,175 Furbus'h Nov. 30, 1858 451,731 Gillespie May 5, 1891 849,533 Dziedzic Apr. 9, 1907 1,232,751 Auer July 10:, 1917 1,288,689 Sampere Dec. 24, 1918 1,728,056 Graieo Sept. 1'0, 1929 2,139,022 Johnson Deo; 6, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 369,228 France Jan. 5, 1907 

